A FAILED electricity promise by the City of Tshwane has led to conflict over illegal connections in Mamelodi East.
Tensions have reached boiling point between shack dwellers of Phomolong informal settlement and residents of formal houses in Extension 6 over electricity theft that has now caused blackouts in the formal settlement.
The residents accuse the shack dwellers of using scrap wires to steal power from electricity boxes.
The shack dwellers blame Tshwane municipality for not finishing the electrification project that was meant to be completed last year.
Phomolong was to benefit from R210-million that was set aside to install electricity to 31894 shacks in the 2011/2012 financial year. But only 1031 shacks were electrified, according to e-mails between Tshwane officials and the community which Sowetan has seen.
Live electricity boxes hung on poles was all that was done in Phomolong. No electricity was connected to the houses.
Out of frustration, shack dwellers ripped off the boxes to supply power to their shacks.
Wires linking shacks to electricity boxes can be seen hanging all over the place . No incidents of electrocutions have been reported though.
"I'm willing to pay for the electricity, but I got frustrated waiting for the municipality to do something so I decided to steal the electricity," said Milton Maila, who installed electricity to his shack.
"I'm not proud of what I did, but it's not nice to live in the dark.
"The municipality was also not fair to install electricity boxes in one portion of the community and abandon the other. There will be a civil war here."
"I only use it for lights, TV and to charge my cellphone. It can take up to 40 minutes for a kettle to boil. I use other appliances after 10pm when most people are sleeping."
Collen Kgaphola, who lives in a formal house across the road, has been without power for three weeks.
"I don't have a problem with shack dwellers stealing electricity, but their actions must not affect me. We are suffering now because of them. We can't negotiate with them because we are scared of them.
"Police encourage them because some of them live in those shacks and they benefit from izinyoka [electricity thieves]," said Kgaphola.
This week a substation blew up at night as power thieves were fiddling with the installation.
Lazarus Sithole, a tavern owner, is facing the possibility of losing his business of 11 years.
He runs his business by getting alcohol worth R30000 on credit from SA Breweries weekly that he must pay back within seven days.
Sithole makes R3 profit per case of beer sold. "My customers want cold beers and I'm losing business. I don't know how am I going to pay back the money I already owe."
The City of Tshwane's communications department had not responded by the time of going to press.
sifilel@sowetan.co.za
For more stories like this one, be sure to buy the Sowetan newspaper from Mondays to Fridays
War talk over power
A FAILED electricity promise by the City of Tshwane has led to conflict over illegal connections in Mamelodi East.
Tensions have reached boiling point between shack dwellers of Phomolong informal settlement and residents of formal houses in Extension 6 over electricity theft that has now caused blackouts in the formal settlement.
The residents accuse the shack dwellers of using scrap wires to steal power from electricity boxes.
The shack dwellers blame Tshwane municipality for not finishing the electrification project that was meant to be completed last year.
Phomolong was to benefit from R210-million that was set aside to install electricity to 31894 shacks in the 2011/2012 financial year. But only 1031 shacks were electrified, according to e-mails between Tshwane officials and the community which Sowetan has seen.
Live electricity boxes hung on poles was all that was done in Phomolong. No electricity was connected to the houses.
Out of frustration, shack dwellers ripped off the boxes to supply power to their shacks.
Wires linking shacks to electricity boxes can be seen hanging all over the place . No incidents of electrocutions have been reported though.
"I'm willing to pay for the electricity, but I got frustrated waiting for the municipality to do something so I decided to steal the electricity," said Milton Maila, who installed electricity to his shack.
"I'm not proud of what I did, but it's not nice to live in the dark.
"The municipality was also not fair to install electricity boxes in one portion of the community and abandon the other. There will be a civil war here."
"I only use it for lights, TV and to charge my cellphone. It can take up to 40 minutes for a kettle to boil. I use other appliances after 10pm when most people are sleeping."
Collen Kgaphola, who lives in a formal house across the road, has been without power for three weeks.
"I don't have a problem with shack dwellers stealing electricity, but their actions must not affect me. We are suffering now because of them. We can't negotiate with them because we are scared of them.
"Police encourage them because some of them live in those shacks and they benefit from izinyoka [electricity thieves]," said Kgaphola.
This week a substation blew up at night as power thieves were fiddling with the installation.
Lazarus Sithole, a tavern owner, is facing the possibility of losing his business of 11 years.
He runs his business by getting alcohol worth R30000 on credit from SA Breweries weekly that he must pay back within seven days.
Sithole makes R3 profit per case of beer sold. "My customers want cold beers and I'm losing business. I don't know how am I going to pay back the money I already owe."
The City of Tshwane's communications department had not responded by the time of going to press.
sifilel@sowetan.co.za
For more stories like this one, be sure to buy the Sowetan newspaper from Mondays to Fridays
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